THE GRAND LODGE
OF UKRAINE

When the first Grand Lodges were being formed, mutual recognition between Lodges took place on the basis of adherence to a certain set of rules and principles that were considered obligatory in order for an established organization, that is, a Lodge, to be regarded as Masonic.

"What makes the course of my narrative especially difficult is the extraordinary diversity of the images offered to me by memory. I have already said that we sometimes marched in a small detachment, at times forming a crowded throng or an entire host, but at times I remained in some place with a single companion or in complete solitude, without tents, without leaders, without a herald."

The paths of deceived people, out of a sorrowful life,
Who strive toward the knowledge of light and learning,
With eyes still empty, toward the new
They go stealing toward the mirages of their hopes.
Yet three circles of a new life the will
Must put their progress to the test,
Where an unknown fate becomes the trial,
That will change the soul, both old and young.

Carl H. Claudy

Within himself the sage dreams of finding the Fruits of that Truth which grows, Like a rose, out of the dust of the earth - he knows: Only thus is it possible to save flesh and Spirit. But when he merely leafs through a dust-covered tome, Or writes his own, - what benefit is there in that for the Spirit? Like the foam of the waves, his learning is empty, Like a guest, it will leave his house. Amid the vain wanderings of human souls, Amid the fruits of their talentless wisdom, We shall not find the Higher Art. It grows not out of books, Not out of the play of the mind, of treacherous passions, But out of the knowledge of the secret Way.

Manly P. Hall

Freemasonry is an organization built upon experience. Each stone is a successive step in the unfolding of consciousness. The sanctuaries of Freemasonry are framed with the Gnostic jewels of the ages; its rituals resound with the words of knowing seers and enlightened sages. Hundreds of religions have brought their wisdom to its altar. The arts and sciences have made an invaluable contribution to its symbolism. It is more than a faith, it is a fact.

Hubert S. Box

Since there exists a multitude of secrets that have a legitimate right to remain such, attempts to penetrate them by one for whom they are not intended would be an act in the highest degree improper and malicious; however, the secrets of Freemasonry do not produce such an impression. The chief of them is connected with the understanding of the nature of God, while the others serve exclusively to create a "protective barrier" around the chief one.